The Role of Leadership
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Abstract
✭ a t the end of the twentieth century, the United states was the world's sole superpower. References to american empire or hegemony exaggerate the extent to which america could control the rest of the world, and i prefer the term " primacy " to describe the way in which, by the end of the century, the United states became the only country with global military, economic, and cultural reach. Contrary to theory and modern history, american power went unbalanced. as one expert observed , " it is highly unusual for a country with only 5 percent of the world's population to be able to organize favorable political , economic and security orders in almost every corner of the globe and to sustain them for decades. " 1 it was not always thus. in the early days of the republic, George washington noted america's " detached and distant situation " and asked " why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? " it proved to be an interesting question that americans have wrestled with throughout their history, and most recently over the course of the twentieth century. how did american primacy come about? social scientists tend to answer with structural theories that are attractive because they appear to provide broad general explanations. everything seems inevitable. we humans are No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means without prior written permission of the publisher.